The Plights of Selphia
by EverlastingBoba
Summary: Rather fluffy oneshots of RF4 bachelors'/bachelorettes' relationships with each other. (Think about random rival pairings). Covers moments that I imagine in Selphia. Random pairings may occur in each oneshot, so prepare yourself! Each pairing listed on top of chapter. Whether they appear to be friendly or romantic, it's up to you. (Some may be rated T for language/angst/violence)
1. Tangled

**NOTE: Hello, I am back and this time, obsessing over Rune Factory! These games have always been one of my favorites to play along with games such as Harvest Moon and Pokemon! One of my favorite aspects of Rune Factory and Harvest Moon was the rival pairings, since I always found it lonely to be the only one who ends up getting married and having a child. The town would be a lot more interesting it that happens! In any case, while playing through my Rune Factory 4 file, I have fallen in love with all of the characters from the tiny town of Selphia, and couldn't help but wonder the potential pairings that could have occurred!**

**And for some weird reason, I really like the idea of having Kiel x Xiao Pai together regardless of their little one-on-one interactions. I just feel like they would get along each other well! Like, Kiel would help Xiao Pai with her English stuff and her general clumsiness, and Xiao Pai would help him with his unhealthy obsession with books by scolding him and they would relate to each other a lot! I am indeed insane, but hey, fans are bound to be crazy. These characters, in my opinion, OVERWHELMINGLY underrated, they are generally ignored by fans! Well, this is an attempt to fix it! **

**This may or not be Xiao Pai-eccentric since I relate to her so much, but they will all include random moments that I can imagine occurring in the game so completely random pairings could pop up now and then. I IMAGINE THIS STORY to be ONESHOTS, but they may change depending on my mood. I have indeed decided that this entire series may be dedicated to moments that we don't really get to experience. Like we see Leon/Forte moments as well as Doug/Dylas moments. I kinda just want to see cute/tender moments between two characters they we never really get to see interact in the game!**

**Everyone must be BFFs in my world.**

**Without further ado, please enjoy~**

**Don't own anything! All credit to the producers of the Rune Factory series (bless them for their beautiful creations TT^TT)**

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><p><strong>Tangled<strong>

(Contains Xiao Pai x Kiel friendship)

Xiao Pai sighed as she pulled at her hair. She thought that she managed to get that accursed hair clip untangled from her locks after allowing the royalty of the castle to help her. Apparently, it managed to get tangled again within an hour. Curse her bad luck.

Running her fingers through her hair, she hoped that it would somehow manage to make it easier for the hair clip to remove it and clip it back to its proper position. After a few minutes of fumbling, she finally gave up and decided that she needed to get help.

Scanning the room, she noticed a few travelers staying in the lobby of the inn. Her mother left to order items from the general store, thus leaving the hotel to her. She can't possibly leave the counter to do something as meaningless as getting a hair clip untangled. There were a few visitors staying at the Inn that she could ask for help, but she considered it rude to ask such guests to attend to her needs. Not also to mention embarrassing. Of course, Leon was out in the town, most likely teasing his favorite "toys" shamelessly.

Seeing no one who could help, she once again tried fruitlessly to get rid of the hair clip mess. Only she would she manage to her her own hair clip to painfully tug at her delicate locks of hair. Her mother would probably never have this problem...

"Oh hey Xiao Pai!"

Xiao Pai turned her attention from her thoughts to the source of a voice which was a young man dressed in green garments with blonde locks adorned with a hair pin.

Noticing how she must have looked, fumbling with her hair, she quickly put her hands away from the hair clip and tried to retain her normal posture.

"Hi, hi, Kiel! What can I do for you?"

Fingering the book that he held, he replied, "I was just wondering if Leon was in his room. I have a book for him,"

Xiao Pai vaguely remembered Leon being rather fixated on a singular book, murmuring about it under his breath for days. She shook her head, internally wincing at the aching tug at her hair.

"It seems so that Leon has left quite some time ago. I can hold onto the book for you and give it to him when he comes back if you want, yes?"

Kiel smiled as he kindly rejected her offer.

"It's fine, Xiao Pai. I actually want to give the book to him myself and discuss it with him. The book has really intrigued me, so I was hoping to hear his opinion on it."

She nodded hesitatingly as she understood his reason. She knows that Kiel's intentions were pure, but she wasn't exactly sure if having Leon talk to him alone would be the best. Xiao Pai knew what disastrous results could occur if Leon decided to mess with his naive mind.

Forte would not be happy for sure.

"That is okay. I do hope you find him soon, yes?"

Chuckling at her unique choice of words, Kiel's smile brightened even more.

"Thanks, I appreciate it! I'm sure I would probably find him probably at the restaurant or something."

Xiao Pai giggled a little as she could have easily imagined Leon throwing about teasing remarks to everyone in the restaurant as he was eating Porcoline's delectable food.

Her giggles were cut short when that same hair clip tugged at her scalp. Caught off guard from the pain, she visibly winced as her hands clenched onto the side of her head.

Concerned, Kiel got a bit closer to her, eyeing the area where she grabbed her head.

"Are you okay?"

Xiao Pai blushed a little, noticing his close proximity as well as the mess that Kiel was caught her in.

"Yes, yes I am rather okay. I just have a hair clip tangled in my hair and it is rather painful, yes? It is nothing to worry about."

Kiel blinked at her and gave her a gentle incredulous look.

"Well, why didn't you say so? I wouldn't have mind helping you out."

Xiao Pai fumbled with her words a bit before responding.

"O-oh.. I just... I thought...so it seems that I was wrong, yes? Can you please help me?"

Kiel nodded.

"Of course!"

She parted her hands away from her hair clip as Kiel tucked the book under his arm and went closer to untangle her hair clip. Closing her eyes, she awaited the eventual pain that she would feel from his fingers tugging her hair.

However, it never came. After a few moments, she felt a flower hair clip placed into her hands. She opened her eyes to see Kiel's grinning face. Effortlessly, he removed it within seconds.

Amazed, Xiao Pai's eyes widened as she gaped at her hair clip in her hands from the relative ease that the young man had removing it from her hair. She spent about 30 minutes of fruitless fumbling just awhile ago!

"Whoa! How did you remove it so easy?"

Kiel, a little taken back by her sudden amazement at what he considered a rather simple task, answered, "Well, sometimes Forte has a bit of trouble with her hair so I sometimes had to come in to help."

Dumbfounded that someone as seemingly perfect as Forte had problems with her hair, she continued to gape for a few seconds before she quickly snapped out of it.

"I see! Well, thank you very much! It seems that you have saved me a lot of time that I would have spent messing around with it."

Kiel laughed at her sheer gratitude from being relieved of the pain of her hair clip.

"No problem! I'm just glad I was able to salvage it from your hair. It really is a cute hair clip, after all!"

Smiling from the sweet compliment, she shyly put it back in its rightful place in her hair.

Just then, Leon walked into the inn, making long strides to his room until he noticed Kiel and Xiao Pai standing near each other rather closely.

"Oh, what is this?"

Kiel and Xiao Pai turned to the fox-looking man and Kiel waved at him.

"Leon! I was looking for you!"

Curious about why the naive man would look for him, he raised his eyebrow. Knowing that it was his time to leave, Kiel turned to Xiao Pai.

"I guess I'll take my leave now. Next time, try to depend on me sometimes! I would be more than happy to help you out!"

Taking note of his words, the girl smiled gratefully as she nodded her head.

"Yes, yes, I will surely remember that next time. Bye bye!"

He nodded his head goodbye as he rushed to Leon's side, rambling about the book that he was holding.

Amused at the scene taking place, Xiao Pai took a quick glance at her reflection in the shiny counter that had been wiped clean. Her flower hair clip in its rightful spot, she smiled softly and whispered under her breath.

"Very cute, indeed, yes?"

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><p><strong>Urgh, it felt really nice letting all my feelings go into a story. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it too! Too many of my feelings went into it, lol. I really wish more people would write about other characterspairings that are rather unrepresented in the fandoms! (Especially since these characters are the ones that I end up really liking) **

**One prime example: Vaughn x Sabrina from Harvest Moon**

**Why must people hate on this pairing? I honestly find it to be so cute and sweet, so it saddens me when I see people bash on it so much. (AND ESPECIALLY TWISTING SABRINA'S SWEET PERSONALITY in order to go along with their story)**

**I even started writing a slight AU, but ended up leaving it to collect dust as I lost motivation...**

**Please leave reviews about the story, as I am sure that would help immensely! Oh, and I don't mind being sent requests about the pairings that YOU like in the Rune Factory 4 games! Maybe if I feel really motivated, I would actually write it, but I am indeed curious about the pairings that you guys have in mind.**

**I really don't like OCness (so if that does happen to me, please LET ME KNOW SO I CAN EDIT IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE)**

**I actually read all reviews that come and take it into account, so please review!**


	2. Memoirs of Death

**Note: Whoooo, this is a rather quick update. For some reason, I found myself thinking of another scenario that would most likely occur (which is completely horrid) which is Blossom's death. So I figured that Doug would probably need some comforting, and which person would be better to comfort him than the person who lost her beloved mentor from old age as well? Haha, I actually don't ship them together, but I personally like to believe that EVERYONE is just FRIENDS with EVERYONE in this village. No, just me? Well, okay then lol. Hopefully I'll get to write lovely friendship moments with everyone. **

**I sorta just spit out the first two stories without really looking through for mistakes and errors, so if you do indeed see them, let me know~**

**Without further ado, here we go!**

**Don't own anything!**

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><p>Memoirs of Death<p>

_Rated T for language/angst?_

(Contains Doug x Margaret Friendship Comfort)

**May Contain Spoilers if Not Completed All Story Arcs**

"Damn it all…"

As soon as those words left the red haired dwarf's mouth, they were lost in the rain on the gloomy day. It was a day, one unusual for such a gorgeous town of Selphia. This rain was not the typical showers that Selphia typically received; it was sullen, somber. It suited the mood that the villagers were in today.

Doug sat in front of the pool of water in front of the general store, unnoticing the rain that continued to drench him. The coldness that he felt from the rain was nothing to the pain that he felt from his heart.

Staring at his reflection in the water, he gazed at the ripples that the rain made. His emotions flaring, he swiftly kicked the water's surface, dispelling the cloudy picture of himself. He couldn't take looking at himself any longer. The hot-headed man buried his face into his hands.

"I should have been there… I should have done more..."

Today was the day of Blossom's funeral.

It seemed like a normal day. As usual, Doug was goofing around, spreading mischief around the lively town. When he entered into the general store in the afternoon to check on Granny Blossom, he quickly noticed her pale complexion and the weakened look on her face. She was hardly standing behind the counter; she was leaning against it with shivers ran through her body.

Rushing to her side, he lifted her up gently and carried her upstairs. The dwarf tucked her into her bed and rushed out. Blossom needed help, and Nancy and Jones were the two people that she needed.

Bursting through the door of the clinic, the doctor and the nurse both stopped their conversation with each other to stare at the sudden entrance of the dwarf. Their faces paled when they heard the news and rushed over to the general store, Doug trailing not far behind.

Jones and Nancy did their best to relieve the elderly woman as Doug frantically paced in the kitchen, his heart pounding. If anything happened to her, he didn't know what he would do. Soon, Nancy left Blossom's bedroom and summoned Doug. Jones and Nancy were allowing Doug to speak to Blossom before she would endure intense treatment.

Making his way as quietly as possible, he saw a weak smile onto the woman who took him in. He gently grasped her rather cold hand and reassured her that she was going to be okay. Or was he trying to reassure himself?

Blossom left out a slight chuckle as she gently croaked to him that she would be fine, especially if she was in the hands of Jones and Nancy. Convincing himself that the elder would be fine, he gave her hand another squeeze and stood up from her bedside. He started to leave but stopped. He suddenly turned around, kissed her forehead, and left. He trusted the couple to do their best to make her feel better. Doug just wasn't sure if fate had that in mind for her,

And how right he was.

In a few hours, he was greeted by Jones and Nancy, both boring grim looks on their faces. Analyzing the situation, he ran into Blossom's bedroom without a word to see it for himself. His knees buckled as he saw the body laying rather peacefully in the bed.

She was indeed dead.

The entire town mourned for such a loss. Everyone felt an attachment to the kind elderly woman. They wept and swore that she will never be erased from their memories and hearts.

For obvious reasons, Doug took her death the hardest. Everyone tried comforting him. Dylas even awkwardly laid his hand onto his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze as if to say that he is not alone. Although the dwarf appreciated everyone's concern, he still felt empty in the inside.

He thought that he would be strong enough to at least be there for her funeral.

However, he lost it. Right when he saw her body in the coffin, his whole body froze. His mind raced to the memories that he buried long ago. Back to his past.

Destruction.

Chaos.

Fire.

_Blood._

_**Death.**_

_Oh, there was so much death._

The corpses of his parents...

_Grief._

**Rage.**

_**REVENGE.**_

The recollections continued to overwhelm him as his breaths grew shorter and shorter. His head pounded as each memory continued to rush through his mind. Doug could clearly remember the pain that he felt, The emotions that he felt. He felt them coming. And he couldn't stop them.

Unable to take it much longer, he spun around and dashed away from the town square.

Thus leaving him into his current predicament; sitting in front of a pool of water rather pitifully in the rain. He could have done something differently on that day. Maybe that could have prolonged her death a bit longer. He should have been in that exact room, holding her hand when she died.

_Why is he never there when the most important people to him die?_

Feeling the weight of his internal battle, he felt hot tears running down his face.

_Damn it all…_

Wallowing in his emotions, he failed to hear the gentle footsteps approaching him. It wasn't until the girl sat right next to him without a word as when he finally registered her presence. His eyes widened in surprise as he tried his best to wipe his tears away. He thought that he had an image that he wanted to maintain.

Feeling her eyes peering into his soul, he finally broke the silence.

"What are you doing here, Margaret?"

The elven girl merely shrugged and countered with her own question.

"I can ask you the same thing, Doug."

There was a long pause, rain filling in the silence between the two.

Margaret was about to open her mouth to say something, but the dwarf cut her off.

"I'm not going back if that's why you are here. At least not now."

Her forehead furrowed as she decided to give the young man some slack for cutting off what she was about to say. His crude voice rang out through the rain.

"Why are you here anyway?"

Margaret gave another pause as she pondered. Why did she come after him? It was not like they were particularly close to one another. As soon as everyone saw the dwarf rush out, several people automatically got up to run after them. Two of those people who wanted to help Doug was Forte and Kiel. Having their parents leave them, they too understood the pain that he must be in.

And yet, she was the one who voiced out how she should be the one to go after him, and Porcoline agreed wholeheartedly. Margaret felt like she could best relate to him in this situation. The elf had an idea what to say to him, but when she finally approached him, all the words left her mind. For once, she felt speechless for what to say to him.

After another pause, Doug spoke again harshly.

"Are you here to comfort me? Tsk, I don't need your damn pity."

Her beautiful blue eyes narrowed at the rudeness of his tone.

She retorted, "What makes you think I'm here to pity you?"

Silence.

The pair once again sat in silence, taking in their thoughts as well as the rain that continued to rain against their bodies.

His voice once again broke the pause.

"Why else would you be here?"

It sounded so hoarse. So broken.

Silence.

Margaret's mind raced as she thought of a million things that she could tell the dwarf to make him feel better about Blossom's death. She finally decided to reveal a part that she didn't like showing to other people. Her past...

With a sigh, the elf prepared herself as she tried to calm her emotions as she recalled the memories that she tried to push away.

"I just have something to say to you."

Curious, Doug brought his knees up and laid his head on top of them, wrapping his arms around his legs. (**Note: Think of the fetal position)** His silver eyes, although murky from the inner turmoil that his emotions were having, gleamed a bit with curiosity of what the mature girl has to say to him.

"Before coming to this town, I used to live somewhere else, the Elven kingdom. There, I had a mentor who taught me music. As you can imagine, we were very close. We were like a family. I was so happy to be with him, and he was happy to be with me as well."

Margaret sniffed as she remembered the kind face of her tutor. A tear fell down her cheek as she pushed herself to continue the story, no matter how much it was hurting her.

"Of course, as you know, I am an elf. And a common trait of elves is that we typically live longer than humans. And so, I watched him age before my eyes. As I stayed youthful, he grew old. Soon… soon, he passed away."

More tears started streaming down her face as she recalled her mentor's death. Taking a pause, she closed her eyes, absorbing the emotions that she felt. Doug, feeling a slight twinge of remorse for the girl, scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her as to comfort her. He continued to stare at the pool of water, reflecting at her words.

No words were needed to exchange the pain of losing someone.

After some time has passed, her eyes opened a little and she laid her head against his shoulder. She wanted to continue her story and get to her point. Margaret believed that Doug needed to hear this. Or was it her who needed to hear it as well?

"Obviously, I was really sad, depressed even. I couldn't bear not being able to see his smiling face anymore. It wasn't until Porocoline found me was I able to move on."

At that note, Doug turned his head towards her. Her face expressions changed from a sullen look to a loving face as she remembered the kind faces that she encountered when she went with Porcoline. Everyone in this strange town in Selphia was just absolutely wonderful to her and just as dear.

"If I had not met Porcoline, I would not have step a foot into this town. I would not have met everyone. I would not have been saved by everyone's kindness."

Turning her head towards him, she gave him a gentle smile as if to tell him that everyone is going to be okay.

"I know that your entire clan, including your parents, have left you. So the pain of Blossom's death must also remind you of their deaths as well. That's something no one should ever endure. At least not alone."

Taking in her words, Doug turned his head away and looked at the water. He saw both Margaret and himself sitting side by side, leaning against each other for support. The elven girl continued.

"So, feel free to feel remorse. It is normal for people to feel sad, so don't hold back. Just know that you have everyone else to support you. No matter what you think, _you are_ _not alone."_

Closing his eyes, he left her words soothe his emotions. He felt himself almost come into peace, despite the sorrow still lingering in his body. When he finally opened his eyes, he noticed that the rain started to lighten a little.

He was not over Blossom's death. Not by a long shot. But, he felt more at peace. He has everyone to help him get back on track. He turned to Margaret and gave her a grin.

"Thanks, Margaret. I needed that."

She returned his smile and they both got up to attend the funeral. As Doug was about to step into the town square where the funeral processions were occurring, he hesitated a little. Margaret, noticing his slight hesitation to face reality once again, placed her hand on his shoulder.

Reacting to her touch, he turned his head and their eyes met. One glance into her eyes made his eyes swell up in resolution. Turning his head back, he continued on, just like life would eventually do for him.

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><p><strong>Man, this is the longest that I have EVER written. I just hope I managed to keep characters in character, although I think I may have made Doug a bit too angsty and rude and Margaret a bit too awkward since she always seem to know which to say! Well, one reason why I chose Margaret over someone like ForteKiel, who has indeed lost a parental figure, was that I felt like losing a parent as a child is not the same as losing them as like an adult. It's not on the same emotional level, since as an adult, you make more memories of them and remember them more than as a child, although as a child, if your parents were gone for a large part of your life, you don't really miss them as much since they were never really there.**

**Well anyway, please review and I am indeed curious about the pairings that you guys enjoy (or just want to see more friendship moments as well! (Maybe if I see a pairing that I like, I may feel motivated enough to dedicate my next story to it, hehe)**

**Once again, constructive criticism is encouraged!**


	3. To Prove or Disprove

**Note: Here's another update! This is one of the more popular pairings of Rune Factory 4, although I am not a huge fan of it tbh. I like them in moderation, I guess? I just see this pair to be amusing, and so I can see why people would favor them so much as well as Dylas x Doug. I guess people just really love couples that argue with each other a lot. Well anyway, please enjoy~**

**Once again, own nothing!**

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><p><strong>To Prove or Disprove, That is the Real Question<strong>

(Contains Forte x Dolce Bonding, Forte x Leon Moment)

"You want her to do WHAT?!"

Pico gaped at the blonde female who was blushing rather profusely. Her beautiful blue eyes darted back and forth, unable of focusing onto the woman who she was requesting from. Forte cleared her throat nervously as she repeated her request.

"...Ahem! I was...er… requesting… for you to… erm... my rather inept skills of feminine skills… such as sewing… and such..."

Dolce studied her friend's face, wondering why she would make such a request. She knew that Forte was embarrassed of her lack of femininity, but she never tried asking her for help. She would typically ask her little brother for help with cooking, although they seldom succeed in any successful dishes.

"Why do you want to know how to sew from me?"

The ghost girl bounced around the armor clad woman, interpreting her reason for her.

"My, my, does someone have a crush on someone?! Hence the sudden need to look more feminine?! And of course, my Dolly would be the best to ask! She is the model of femininity, despite the number of times she-"

Pico was quickly silenced by Dolce, who grabbed her and muffled her chatter with her gloved hand.

With an angry look on her face, she scolded the ghost.

"Be quiet, will you?"

Forte, a little shaken by the ghost's presence, sighed a little in relief. Although she knew that Pico was a friend, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous in her ghostly presence. The knight is, indeed, much better than before but her paranormal phobia couldn't be cured so easily. At least she was able to resist swinging her sword around once she detected a ghost in close proximity of Dolce.

Slightly amused at the usual antics that the duo would typically undergo on a daily basis, Forte smiled. She felt less nervous about her request after watching their normal banter. As Dolce managed to finally quiet her companion, she turned her attention back to the knight, her eyes expectant of an answer.

"I would be glad to teach you, but I couldn't help but wonder the reason why you would want to learn how to sew to begin with?"

Forte nodded in understanding.

"Well, as you can imagine, I was teased once again by Leon for my lack of femininity. So, in an attempt to prove him wrong, I desire to acquire a such a skill."

With a developing blush on her face, she continued to elaborate.

"Despite my numerous attempts with the help of my brother, my cooking skills are not exactly up to par…"

After admitting her uselessness in the kitchen, her blush disappeared and her determination began to shine through.

"And so, that is why I request of you of an entirely different task! Please teach me how to sew!"

She bowed to signify her willingness to learn. Touched by her determination, Dolce's face softened into a gentle smile. Taking a pause, she responded.

"Okay, I'll teach you."

The knight perked up immediately as she heard the word of agreement. She whipped her head up from her bow and gave her a bright grin.

"Thank you! I would be completely honored to be learning from you, Teacher Dolce!"

Dolce's smile grew a bit more when she recalled how a few other people referred her to that name when she demonstrated how to "get it together". She liked the name.

"Alright then, shall we get started?"

Pico popped out of nowhere, excited to participate in a lesson that Dolly was teaching.

"Oh, oh! I'll get the materials!"

With smiles on their faces, they began the lesson.

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><p>After a full day spent on the lesson, Forte walked out from the clinic and grimaced from the pain emitting from her fingers. The numerous times she accidentally pricked her fingers from the sharp needle were not fairly pleasant. Her armored gloves hindered the nimbleness necessary for sewing, so she had to remove them in order to exhibit any capability for such a delicate task. As such, her fingers were unprotected. At the end of the day, her hands were rather heavily decorated with colorful bandages, provided by the clinic, but her face was adorned with a triumph look.<p>

It was a long and enduring task, but Forte succeeded with the help of Dolce and Pico. Teacher Dolce was very patient in teaching the knight the basics of sewing as well as the procedure to make a simple scarf and Pico helped spur her even further into her lesson with her bright enthusiasm and helpful hints.

When Dolce began noticing the number of bandages that began to be increasingly applied onto Forte's fingers, she began to worry and hesitate in her lesson. She didn't want the woman to hurt herself too much, all for the sake of showing up Leon and his typical teases. However, Forte was stubbornly determined to push onward with the task until she made at least a decently looking scarf.

Begrudgingly, the pink haired woman continued with her sewing lesson. She decided that Forte was a grown woman and was capable of making her own decisions, even if Dolce didn't think her decision was right. Although, one condition that Dolce made in order for her to continue her lesson was for the knight to wear gloves to protect her hands from the needle.

Thanks to all of their efforts, the blonde female was able to produce a scarf. It was a little amateurish looking, but it looked fairly presentable. It consisted of various hues of blue, ones that Forte thought were suitable for the upcoming winter season. It would surely be cold, and so a blue scarf would be perfect for such weather. She couldn't wait to see the look of Leon's face once she has proven her capability of being feminine!

Making her way to the inn/bathhouse, Forte observed her surroundings, vigilant of any possibilities of any danger surrounding the town. The sun had just set, and the stars had just started popping out in the dark sky. Her duty as a dragon knight made her instinctively become wary of night time, as it could potentially disguise the most heinous monsters. She needed to be ready for that possibility.

Right when she neared the entrance of the Little Bell Inn, she heard a noise to her right and froze. Ignoring the pain in her fingers, she lifted her sword a little, ready to attack if the noise proved to be coming from an enemy. As the noises became closer and closer, the knight noticed a pair of fox ears in the sea of darkness.

Recognizing the familiar sight, Forte lowered her sword as well as her guard. She knew that Leon was nothing to fear of.

"Leon…"

The noises turned out to be footsteps as the fox man stepped close enough for Forte to see him. Recognizing the figure that stood near the inn, his expression changed into a smirk.

"Ah, Forte. Nice to see you too. I see that you haven't rid of your fear of the dark."

Embarrassed at his astute observation, she blushed and stammered back in response.

"Ah, well it's…. it's my duty as the Dragon Knight to be wary at night time! It is to protect the townspeople and Lady Ventuswill from any harm!"

Leon easily deflected her defensive response and countered with her own answer.

"Was that why you were previously pointing your sword at me? Last time I checked, I'm part of the town now. That is, unless..."

His smirk grew wider.

"Venti decided to kick out her own Dragon Priest from the town?"

Internally cursing herself for her blunder, she lowered her head as she felt her face flush.

"..."

The man, relishing in the formal Dragon Knight's embarrassment, decided to spare her a little. He could always tease her again tomorrow with his remarks.

"So, what are you doing, heading towards the inn at night time? You usually don't pay us a visit at night."

Remembering her original task, Forte felt her embarrassment leave as she reached for the scarf that she made.

"Ah, that's right!"

Displaying her scarf, she swelled up in pride.

"I have sewn this scarf! Is it not magnificent? True, it may not be the most professional scarf ever made, but I have made it with my own two hands!"

Observing the scarf that the knight had shown him, he felt slightly impressed by her capabilities. The scarf wasn't half-bad.

"Wow, I'm impressed. I didn't think you would be able to even thread the needle, let alone sew an entire scarf."

Insulted, Forte shouted out, "Hey! How rude! Do you truly think that I am that incapable?!"

Chuckling a little at her overreaction, he patted her on the head.

"I never thought that~"

Slightly agitated by his lie, she retorted, "You did! Earlier this morning! You implied to me that I wasn't capable of being feminine!"

Petting the top of her head, Leon erupted in a small fit of chuckles. He covered his mouth with his free hand in order to stifle the humor that he found from the girl's determination to prove him wrong.

"Haha, you should know by now, what I say typically isn't what I actually think."

A blush graced her features as she once again felt embarrassed by his words. Why does this man always make her act so flustered?

Noticing how late it was, he decided to end her embarrassment. For now. Returning the scarf that Forte handed him, he yawned.

"Well, it's getting pretty late. We better hurry back before all the ghosts start popping at."

Freezing a little at the thought of ghosts, Forte nodded rather frantically.

"Agreed. Good night, Leon."

"Good night~"

Leon walked to the doorway of the inn, before he paused and turned to the knight who was still standing where she was before, mulling over the conversation that they just had.

"Hey!"

Forte turned around in surprise, wondering what else he had to say to face became serious as he looked into her eyes.

"You should be more careful the next time you sew. I may not see the damages on your hands, but I saw the way that you winced when you handled your sword. Take better care of yourself. A lot of people care about you, and it would be a shame if you allowed such injuries onto yourself."

After a pause, Leon added rather softly.

"..."Including me."

Right when he uttered those words, he immediately entered the inn, not allowing Forte to respond back to him. Stunned by how much he really cared for her, she smiled a little to herself. She had the perfect gift to give to him.

The next day, the bright sunlight shined into his eyes, awakening him from his slumber. Leon woke up slightly later than usual as he stayed up fairly late, talking to Forte. He sat up in his bed and stretched a little before noticing a rather large item onto his table side. It was the scarf that Forte showed him with such pride. Attached was a little message that made Leon smile and begin the rest of his day in a rather cheery mood.

_Thank you for your concern for me. I promise to take better care of myself, not only for myself but for my friends and family. As thanks, please accept this scarf to protect you from the upcoming winter as I continue to protect this town as well._

_-Forte_

_P.S. And yes, that includes protecting you as well._

* * *

><p><strong>This strikes me as one of the more romantic oneshots that I've written for this series, so yay for that? x] It was so difficult trying to capture Leon's normal attitude and stuff, but I tried my best! Hopefully Dolce, Pico, Forte, and Leon aren't too out of character for this moment to be completely ridiculous to occur! I appreciate all the views that I've been getting (yesh, I can see you OwO) which helps me spur my writing even more, hehe. Even if they may not be particularly good, I will try my best to improve!<strong>

**Anyway, like I said, please let me know how I'm doing with these oneshots and whether you have a certain pairing that you want me to write about! (no guarantees though)**

**Did you guys like the reference that I made with the "Get it Together" event? I really enjoyed it when it happened to my game ^w^ **


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